Yesterday afternoon we saw Associate Finance Minister James Shaw announce as part of the COVID-19 recovery fund, 11.7 million dollars going towards The Green School, a privately owned school in Taranaki, which focuses on providing schooling without exams and a focus on the environment. This is the second of its kind in the world, with the first one in Bali. Since the funding announcement, there has been backlash as there is need across the country for new buildings, repairs and renovations of schools, with anger that it went to a private school with fees reaching $43,000 for international students. There has also been criticism of Shaw as this goes against Greens policy, which states a complete movement away from private schooling. To understand the situation better, producer James Tapp talked to Chris Edwards, the CEO of The Green School, and Paul Gouter, the national secretary for NZEI Te Riu Roa.
Teachers from primary and secondary schools are calling out the Education Minister for massively overstating school funding increases and playing Trump-style politics with children's education. The NZEI and PPTA called a press conference yesterday to challenge the outgoing minister to explain herself. Parata has claimed that school funding has increased by 35 per cent under a National government, when it's only really increased by 2.3 per cent. Producer Jess Smith speaks to the President of NZEI Lynda Stuart to learn more, starting with the question of what claims were actually made.
Sherry speaks to Green Party co-leader James Shaw on the Landfill Levy increase. This will rise from $10 per tonne to $50/$60 by 2023. We also speak about the suicide prevention office, recently set up by the goverment to deal with New Zealand’s concerning high rates of suicide.
Sherry begins by asking him why New Zealand has one of the high rates per capita in the developed world of waste production.
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Last week, the Government announced it's 20 billion dollar transport plan for the next three years, investing in road maintenance, public transport, and cycleway improvements. Among this, a 12 cent per litre fuel tax increase over 3 years, the first fuel tax increase since they were frozen in 2020.
Rosetta spoke to Dr Timothy Welch, senior lecturer from the Unviersity of Auckland School of Architecture and Planning, about the fuel tax increase and what more needs to be done within transport policy.
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